The present invention relates to individualized barbeque apparatus and, in particular, to a rotisserie-burner apparatus positioned on an individualized mounting or serving plate, the rotisserie-burner apparatus having a skewer rotatably mounted above a burner.
A desirable and attractive way for cooking and serving food may be provided by an individualized barbeque unit on which a single individual may cook his own meat or other food to his own taste. Such an individualized barbeque unit eliminates much of the time spent by the preparer in the kitchen away from guests. One such individualized barbeque apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,330 which provides a serving dish apparatus having a plate portion with a continuous channel around the periphery of the plate, a skewer support means between which a skewer can be placed and a burner apparatus positioned below the skewer in which a fuel, such as alcohol or sterno, may be placed and lighted to provide heat to cook the food on the skewer.
Although the above individualized barbeque apparatus provides an advantageous apparatus, it incorporates an open surface burner which is essentially a container without a lid. Thus, no control of the fuel-air mixture is provided causing the fuel to burn less efficiently. In addition, since the dish containing the fuel is opened, it is very easy for an individual using the device to jostle the plate and thus spill fuel which could ignite causing serious injury. In addition, the skewer in that apparatus is required to have a pointed region heavier than the handle to prevent the skewer from tipping out of the skewer supports. Furthermore, the skewer supports are bolted to the plate making it difficult to clean the apparatus and to remove fuel which may have been left after the cooking occurred. Finally, the skewer in the above-identified reference is generally circular in cross-section thereby allowing the meat or other food placed thereon to easily slip around the skewer as it is rotated, making it more difficult to cook the food evenly on all sides.
By contrast, the present invention provides an individualized barbeque apparatus having a rotisserie-burner assembly which may be wedged into holes provided in the mounting plate. In addition, the handle of the skewer in the present invention does not need to be lighter than the pointed portion since the present invention provides an enclosed upper member with an opening through which the pointed end of the skewer passes to hold the skewer in place. The skewer of the present invention is also preferably of a square cross-section or, at the least, has a cross-section which has at least one corner to thereby prevent the food placed on the skewer from slipping around the skewer as the skewer is rotated.
Of particular importance in the present invention, however, is the burner which is placed between the skewer supports underneath the skewer. In particular, the burner has a generally rectangular fuel container with at least one upper periphery edge of the burner having an outwardly extending flange on which the lid is supported. The lid is generally convex in shape having a top portion with an elongated flame opening out of which fuel vapors pass and a side portion with at least one vent opening into which air passes. By providing the flame opening with a vent opening, a controlled flame may be provided in which both the direction of the flame and the amount of heat generated may be controlled by varying the size of the respective flame and vent openings. Furthermore, by incorporating a top on the burner member, the possibility of injury due to the igniting of fuel which may be spilled is greatly reduced.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,609, a burner for a chaffing dish is shown in which there is an upper flame opening and surrounding vent openings. However, in that burner assembly the vent openings are located above the fuel while the present invention preferably has the vent openings above a flange portion. The present invention also has an elongated burner for being positioned below and along the length of a skewer. By contrast, the above reference provides a circular arrangement whereby the vent openings may be varied by rotating one member, having a plurality of peripheral holes, relative to the second stationary member also having a plurality of peripheral holes. Misalignment of the holes causes the opening to be decreased in area, thus decreasing the amount of air let into the burner. Such an apparatus cannot be incorporated where an elongated burner apparatus, such as in the present invention, is desired to provide a flame along the entire length of the skewer.
Finally, by contrast to the burner disclosed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,609, the present invention has vent holes positioned on a side portion of the lid as opposed to a lower top portion of the lid. In addition, the vent holes in the present invention are preferably positioned over the outwardly extending flange so that the vertical projection of the holes falls outside of the area defined by the bottom of the fuel container. By so providing, the fuel vapors will have a greater tendency to rise upward through the flame opening rather than passing outward through the vent openings.